Why we honoured Akintola, by Oyo Students

The Federation of Oyo State Students Union (FOSSU) and its Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso chapter, have explained why they held a post-humous award in honour of the former Premier of the defunct Western Region, late Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola.

The national Vice President of the union, Abdullahi Adeyemi, said the programme was to recognise the contribution of the late Akintola to the development of Southwest. Corroborating him, the president of the LAUTECH chapter, Ibrahim Oladele, said Akintola’s legacies as Premier and a role model to the youth in defending the unity of the nation must not be left to fade away.

They spoke at the post-humous award organised in honour of Akintola. The programme took place in the expansive MKO Abiola Lecture Theatre in LAUTECH.

The students also hinted the commencement of S.L. Akintola Distinguished Lecture, which will feature personalities who have excelled in their discipline. They said they would ensure the lecture begins this year. Abdullahi said it was disheartening that since the establishment of LAUTECH, there had not been academic lecture in honour of the late politician.

The students honoured Akintola’s family represented by Ambassador Yomi Akintola at the event attended by the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof Sulaimon Gbadegesin, Senator Ayo Adeseun, Oyo Central, chairmen of Ogbomoso South and Surulere Local Government areas , Hon. Olanrewaju Oladeji and Hon. Ibrahim Gbadeniyi respectively and Prof O.B.C. Nwolise, head of Political Science department, University of Ibadan.

In his lecture titled Politics and good governance in temporary Nigeria: The role of the youth in ensuring good governance, Nwolise listed public education, enlightenment and mobilisation, campaigns, constructive criticisms and educative excursion as role of youth in nation building.

The junior Akintola said he was proud of the students for considering it necessary to honour his late father. He equally promised to support the students’ cause and the actualisation of the Distinguished Lecture.

Ladoke Akintola, a lawyer and politician, was born on July 6, 1910 in Ogbomoso and died on January 15, 1966 during the first military coup. He was the 13th Aare Onankakanfo of Yorubaland.